This will be a big month, but to make it work for you, you can't be too rambunctious. How shall I say this? Try not to be too much like a little bull in a china shop, dear Taurus. Mars in Taurus WILL make you impatient and anxious to see progress, but with Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto and soon, your ruler, Venus, all in retrograde, you won't see a lot of progress. Resign yourself to this and know that once you get to July 16, you'll have a better environment in which to make decisions. By August 6, the date Jupiter goes direct, you'll also see better financial luck.

Mars will make you want to take the most direct route between two points, and that's admirable, but you will have to consciously slow yourself down. If you act while Mercury is in retrograde you'll probably regret your decisions. Mercury will retrograde until July 9, but it won't be safe to resume normal decision-making activities and purchasing of large-ticket items until July 16.

The things to do while Mercury is in retrograde are anything beginning with the prefix "re" - redo, rethink, reorganize, reassess, relaunch, redesign, or revisit certain problems, projects, relationships, or situations. While it's a great time to paint your bedroom and redo your closets, it's not a good time to start a new position, sell your house, or buy a new computer. Save those and other vital actions for on or after July 16.

Consider taking a holiday this month, for with so many retrograde planets withholding their strongest energy, not a lot will be decided anyway. If you are worried about missing something while gone, you won't.

With a bright full moon in your long-distance travel sector on June 30 (just hours before the start of your July report), you may be on the road and reading your July Astrology Zone report far from home. If so, you won't be away much longer - by July 5 you'll be home, because full moons tend to bring things to a rapid conclusion. These dates perfectly dovetail with the American holiday, Independence Day (July 4, a Wednesday), so if you live in the United States, you may be celebrating the holiday with a glorious trip. Good idea. If your birthday falls on or near April 27, there's twice the chance that you'll be able to fly away, at least for a few days if not more (or you did at the end of June).

If you can't travel in early July, don't be blue. Travel is likely to come up again on July 11. Thanks to a sweet interplay of the Sun to Uranus, the ruler of your solar tenth house of profession, this trip will likely be for work and come up unexpectedly. No matter, because it appears by your chart that you will have friends based at your destination. You'll have fun seeing them, so you can combine business and pleasure quite easily.

Many more chances to travel will come up AGAIN in the days that fall on or follow July 14. This time any travel taken would be to visit places much closer to home, but no matter. Short, frequent trips to nearby towns will offer you a welcome change of pace.

Your trips taken over the weekend of July 14 or shortly thereafter will have a touch of luxury about them too (due to an aspect to Jupiter), so perhaps you'll get that coveted invitation to someone's sumptuous beach cottage near beautiful sand dunes and tall grasses, or to a cozy lakeside log cabin high in the mountains where cool breezes blow. The new moon is in Cancer, after all, ruling the beach, bodies of water, sun, and surf. This new moon will bring special opportunities for the two weeks that follow July 14, so you have lots to look forward to, dear Taurus!

Romantically, you've got a narrow but sparkling window of opportunity to meet someone new if you're single and interested. Note the period from July 15 to 26 when Venus will be in lovely Virgo, a fellow earth sign like yours, to support you and bring out your charms.

After that, Venus, your ruling planet, will retrograde from July 27 until September 8 putting Venus in a weaker, resting state. From July 27 on, it won't be a great time to meet people, as something will be "off" about the relationship, making it hard to click. Try hard to circulate prior to that date. Venus will be in Virgo, touring your house of true love, so that's where you'll feel most of the glitches. However, since Venus is your ruler, Venus has extra power in your chart, so other parts of your life may slow down, too. Try to take things in stride. By September 8, things should improve.

If you are attached, during the period when Venus is retrograde, from July 27 to September 8, you will have a chance to rethink your relationship. Is this person really for you? Are you seeing qualities that make you stop and think? Is your partner ready for a relationship or does she or he seem a little juvenile or overly needy or jealous? If you are having second thoughts about the level of commitment you've given this person, or if you simply feel you've moved too fast, you can pull back now. You'll likely feel a bit better for having done so.

This process will keep up through August too, with a big full moon lunar eclipse due in the same area of your chart, your house of true love, on August 28. It may be a rocky road, so buckle up, dear Taurus.

Most romantic evenings: July 1, 4 - 5, 8, 11, 14, and 20

The month will end on a terrific career note. Your first indication that you're on the right track will come on July 20, when Mars in Taurus will signal Uranus, the ruler of your house of professional status. An unexpected victory could take you completely by surprise.

You'll be just cranking up!

By the full moon, July 29, plus or minus four days, you are due for an even bigger career development. By this time, Mercury will have regulated its orbit, so if you have had to negotiate a contract or sign one, you will be able to do so any time after July 16. By month's end, talks may conclude - and you should be very pleased with the way things pan out. With Mercury so beautifully angled to Uranus, there will be a twist that you would never expect. Lovely!

Summary:

Lucky you - Mars is now zooming through Taurus, pushing you out of your rut and into new situations. Although as a Taurus, you will often cling to a comfortable routine, with Mars in your sign, there's little chance of that happening. By shaking up your routine, you'll open yourself up to new people, interests, and initiatives. There is no better time to begin an important plan than when Mars is in your sign, so plot your course, but wait to act until Mercury is fully out of retrograde at mid-month.

If you've been frustrated with your professional progress, this month you'll finally get your big break. A fascinating professional opportunity could pop up on July 20. Your career efforts will pay off again, in an even bigger way, by month's end, near July 29. That's when the full moon will brilliantly light your fame and honors sector and accolades should flow your way. You'll feel the warmth of paparazzo's flash bulbs, and will be thrilled to read about your accomplishments in the morning paper. When it comes to career, it's a heady month, brimming with excitement.

Travel opportunities will proliferate too, especially near July 11 and just after the new moon, July 14. Plan to flee town then, before your career picks up. Even a day spent near a pretty shoreline, mountain resort, or lakeside setting will rejuvenate you. Friends will be part of the action, so even if you have nowhere to go, it looks like one friend will extend an invitation for a weekend visit. It wouldn't hurt to have a handsome hostess gift ready in your closet to grab when the opportunity strikes.

Your ruler, Venus, will retrograde from July 27 onward, so from then on your romantic life will begin to recede into the background and won't pick up again until September 8. Perhaps it's all for the better. With your career going strong, you'd be best to give your professional life your full attention. Let your love life take its course. You may change your mind about a lover, or shift a timetable for a pregnancy or plans for a child you have now. It would be best not to make plans while your ruler, Venus, is napping, so make your decisions in early July, even if you decide to announce them later.